


Fascination

by Bryn_Myrddin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: F/M, Fae & Fairies, Female Harry Potter, Idiots in Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2018-09-28 10:16:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10091837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bryn_Myrddin/pseuds/Bryn_Myrddin
Summary: Typed this up today. I'm trash for this pairing, I hope you like it! My internet is on the fritz, so please forgive the bad tagging, bad formatting, bad everything! It's a bitch to do on my phone!





	1. Chapter 1

  
The thing that really was annoying about being immortal was that is got very, very boring.

 

Truly, after a few millennia, what could life throw at you that was a surprise?

 

Living in the Underground, he was surrounded by the same people, the same scenery, and the same life.

 

He had had a few instances of fun here and there; a lovely brave girl named Sarah came to mind as one of the more interesting things that had happened in the last century.

 

What he had not expected, was arriving to a scheduled tea with his cousins Mab and Titania and seeing the pretty little thing seated between them with obsidian hair and emerald eyes.

 

Her name was Ianthe Potter, and she was fascinating.

 -------------------------------------

 

“You have funny eyebrows.” Ianthe blanched when the first thing out of her mouth when meeting the cousin of the two queens was vaguely insulting. Immediately, the two ladies beside her started the laugh at their new company as he simply arched his already high brow higher.

“As you say, my lady” he replied in a seemingly gallant bow belied by the mocking lilt of his words and the quirk of his mouth. Her cheeks had flooded with color and she couldn’t help but smile as well with how good naturedly the trio had taken her gaff.

It had been two years since the battle when Death had appeared before her, the androgynous silhouette in a dark cloak. Embittered and tired of people constant wanting things, wanted her, simultaneously putting her on a pedestal and tearing her down from it she was far more receptive to its offer than she would have been if he had approached her then.

Turns out, the rumors about uniting the Hallows and becoming the Master of Death were true and she had been it as soon as her hand had closed around the elder wand. The cloak and wand she had immediately given back to add to the stone it already possessed, retrieved from the forest floor she had left it on.

She, as it stood, was now the Master of Death, and would remain so until the end of life or time, whichever came first.

The revelation was, terrifying. How could one prepare to live forever? Until everything they loved turned to ash? Watch countless loved ones die and live on?

It was then the entity had offered an olive branch. Live forever on earth or… remove herself to the Underground.

It was an offer to tantalizing to reject.

Hogwarts had very little to boast about in terms of educating its student about the magical world, but it had vaguely touched on the Underground and its inhabitants. House elves, she had learned later, had been creatures that dwelled there once, but upon relocating to the ‘Aboveground’ their magic had attached to any witch or wizard close to them, not realizing that without the sustaining ambient magic in the Underground for them to feed off of, they wouldn’t survive without the bond of a fellow magical to bolster their reserves.

Hermione had been red in embarrassment for a week upon finding out that little fact.

Either way, it had been talked about in such grandiose terms that the descriptions had stuck. This was the world of the high Fae and of countless magical creatures that had yet to be discovered by the ‘Aboveground’ Magicals. But besides all that the best and most relevant part was:

The High Fae were immortal.

It had been the tipping point that had made the agreement fall from her lips upon the offer. Yes, she would miss Teddy, her friends, her life here. But ultimately, the grief that would come in 5, 10 years when she had not aged a day and the wrinkles started to make their home on her friends faces… there would be questions she wouldn’t be able to answer.

So, it was with only a mildly heavy heart she vanished from the Aboveground. No goodbyes, no fuss, letting them think what they would about her disappearance. Perhaps it was selfish and cowardly of her, but she wanted them to remember her fondly, not as the witch who ran away.

It was the hardest with Teddy, only three years old and already the brightest part of her life… best let him forget her than say goodbye.

 

The Underground really was the most magical of places. The beings, the places, even the air was inundated the pure magic coursing through the world. Death had left her with two of the queens that reigned over most of the lands; they had been most welcoming to her, providing her lodgings and clothes far more fitting to her new reality than what she had brought with her.

It had been a week since she had come to the Underground when Mab had invited her to tea with both themselves and their cousin who would be visiting.

“You’ll love him dear, his hair’s just as wild as yours!” she had cackled, pulling teasingly on the wild curl that had escaped her bun

So, she had attended, which brought her to now…

 

 -------------------------------

 

 

“Might I have your name?” the Man, Mab and Titania’s cousin drawled out, the teasing smirk still present on his face as he extended his hand. Reaching out to grasp him, her answer was halted as he pulled it closer to his face, but instead of kissing the back of it, he simply stroked his gloved thumb over the back of her knuckles before releasing it.

“I-Ianthe Potter…” she wasn’t sure what was so discomfiting about him, perhaps it was his appearance, the wild spiky hair, the mismatched eyes, the pointed brows… perhaps it was his voice, a teasing drawl pairs with a deep timber…

“Charmed, I am Jareth, Goblin King.” He introduced himself with a flourish as Mab interjected-

“Sit down you peacock!” she tugged him down into the seat as Titania started to serve the tea.

“Goblin King?” she inquired, picturing the goblins that ran Gringotts, “I thought they lived Aboveground?”

“Ha! Different types of Goblin, the ones down here are nothing but trouble…” Jareth laughed out as he accepted his tea, eyeing her with a mischievous expression.

“How do you feel about trouble Ms. Potter?”

 ---------------------------

 

Ianthe Potter was just fine with trouble.

In fact, she found herself drawn to the goblin kingdom surrounded by its intimidating labyrinth. The chaos that constantly cropped up around the strange looking little goblins that ran around (who were obsessed with drinking and terrorizing chickens for the most part). The strange characters that made their homes in the labyrinth that popped up here and there before disappearing back to their lives. The excitement that came from absolutely nothing being what it seemed.

The funny part, she found, was Jareth would have been an absolute shoe in for Slytherin and he was now, one of the most enjoyable companions that she spent time with in the Underground.

He simultaneously made her laugh and want to pull her hair out as he vacillated between an excellent conversationalist and provocateur. After her first observation on his eyebrows, she had lightly teased him on some of his more exotic features, but in all honesty, his looks had grown on her and she found him quite charming.

When she wasn’t visiting with Jareth she was with Mab or Titania or in her own dwelling that they had presented to her soon after her arrival. It wasn’t quite a castle, but it was a larger stone dwelling with a decent amount of rooms in a charming glen on the boarder of Mab and Titanias lands, effectively giving her a bit of autonomy in this new reality.

All three of the rulers she was familiar with visited occasionally, although most notably Jareth’s visits often ended in some epic prank or a disaster when his goblins found him.

Really, the only time she did not enjoy her time in the Underground thoroughly was during the fairly frequent balls and court events hosted by the two sisters. Jareth had stopped hosting events once his subjects had successfully chased off the last of the would-be guests, it was still unclear if this had been a deliberate sabotage on his part or not.

Either way, the Fae were a race that loved a good party and frequently she found herself outfitted for this gala or that garden party. No matter how long she had been there (and it had to have been yours by now) she would be ‘the new girl’ for centuries to come for the suiters who were eager to pursue the ‘exciting witch from Above’. It was just her luck that fortunately Jareth was always willing to sweep her away from the more persistent and amorous of those who were eager to snag the new toy in the room.

 

All in all, she quite enjoyed her new life in the Underground.

 

\------------------------------- 

Jareth had not known such a dilemma in a long time.

He was no stranger to carnal pleasures, hell, his entire race was known in some respects for their pursuit of pleasure in its many forms.

He was a veritable novice however, in caring, he knew himself enough to know he was a stranger to proper wooing.

Occasionally he would ponder over a different girl with green eyes and black hair who proudly rejected his advances and the sting on his ego that was present even now.

But Ianthe Potter was not like the ones who had come before, she was worldly, strong, and was his friend, not just a quick tryst he still had to make small talk with.

She had fascinated him from their first meeting; he would never forget her rather funny observation on his notable eyebrows.

Since then she had become well acquainted with his love of keeping things interesting.

Her frequent visits to his kingdom quickly became all of his most pleasant memories, their tricks on both the goblins and each other, the long talks in the sanctity of his study, their rambles together as he showed her the wonders of his labyrinth that she appreciated far more than any other being he knew.

They both were creatures of magic and mischief. For all their differences (Ianthe would always refer to him as a ‘snake’ with a fond little smile) they complimented each other’s temperaments extraordinarily well.

His little lioness.

He could name the exact moment, where fascination became something… more.

It had been during the running for a wished away, she had come to visit only to find him entertaining a human baby while the usually chaotic goblins were all crowded around a floating orb tracking the runner’s progress.

Oh, how she had stormed at him, raged against the runner, and cursed the fates that something like this existed. And when she was spent, her rage let go as rational set back in, he calmly explained just what was happening, why he took the children.

It was a contract between the Above and Under that predated him.

 

It was after that, when she whisked the little girl out of his arms and into her own that a lightning bolt of sheer want coursed through him so strongly it positively ached.

 

That little girl, with blond hair and green eyes, looked so much like a child they might have that it occurred to him, he wanted that.

 

He didn’t want Ianthe to leave to go to her own home, he didn’t want to have to leave to visit her, he didn’t want her to say goodbye.

 

He wanted her to stay. To want to stay with him.

 

The ache that moment had generated lessened, but never fully went away, steeling itself inside his heart as again and again they said goodbye, only tempered with the fact that soon there would be hello’s in their place.

It had gotten to the point where even the goblins had noticed his pining and worse yet, were trying to help.

They started bringing her chickens as gifts in his place; whenever they saw them together they would make loud and obnoxious kissing noises while laughing. The only reason he didn’t Bog them all was for the simple fact that every time they did it, Ianthe’s check would become a fetching shade of pink in embarrassment which he found absolutely lovely on her.

He held back though, remembering the last time he placed affections where they were not welcomed, the back of his mind chanting that one simple phrase at him…

_You have no power over me_

 

\---------- 

Ianthe was not an idiot.

Perhaps she had never been the most studious attendee at Hogwarts, but that didn’t mean much when it came down to what she was good at, people.

Sure, Hermione could recite most of their required reading by heart, Ron could play a chess game that would make Sun Tzu proud… but Ianthe knew how to talk to people.

Perhaps, it might not have been apparent in her younger adolescent years (although the stress of being nearly killed every year was a pretty good reason why, she thought). But one didn’t become a figurehead in a war and a heroine to the people afterwards without knowing the basics of human interaction.

 

Jareth, she knew, fancied her. That was certain.

 

What wasn’t certain was just how much he did.

It wasn’t that she was against one night stands or casual relationships, she’d had one or two in the few years after the war… but this was different.

 

Although she had quite a few friends in the Underground now, Jareth was one of her closest and dearest. It was he who could make her laugh the most, teach her a trick or two that she didn’t know, and who would talk circles around her with his silver tongue but never make her feel stupid.

 

So, yes, she quite fancied him too, but not enough to lose him should he only want to ‘scratch an itch’. And thus far, she couldn’t see anything he was doing as out of the ordinary for any randy Fae man who wanted a woman, and the Fae were notorious, she had learned, for their short lived trysts.

 

She’d always wanted the kind of relationship where there was laughter and love, and she could see having that with Jareth… Hell, they had it already, just… with none of the… fun bits.

 

In any case, despite her reciprocal feelings, she wouldn’t say anything to ruin what they had built over the years.

 

He was far too important to her.

 

\----------------

 

Decades had passed now since Ianthe had come to live down in the Underground. Mab and Titania viewed her as nearly another sister and Jareth still decidedly did not.

Every time he saw her he found it harder and harder to reign himself in. Not that he wasn’t attempting to get her attention in the way he wanted, just that… it didn’t seem to be working.

 

He showed off all the lavish parts of his castle, wore his best clothes, presented her with displays of power to show he was worth of consideration… and yet she made no move to signal she was interested in moving forward.

The goblins still tried to help, in their own way, but even that had almost gotten pathetic as the years past. Mab and Titania had laughed themselves silly at his predicament; however neither had offered any help in winning the Master of Death’s heart.

It wasn’t until one day, lounging on his throne surrounded by the usual clamor of chaotic revelry that the idea occurred to him.

It was so simple that he found himself throwing back his head and cackling at his own stupidity.

Ianthe wasn’t responding to Fae courting because she was not Fae.

It had never been something that he though much on, he was immortal, she was immortal, what more did he need to know?

But if he actually thought about it now, he remembered those first years, how the courtiers had gone after her in aggressive Fae flirting, how uncomfortable it had made her. He had only vaguely considered this before and had just opted for the lighter touch… but now, now he understood.

Well… he hoped he did anyway.

Getting up suddenly and leaving the room he quickly transported himself to Ianthe’s dwelling knowing full well she would just be getting ready for bed, but unable to wait any longer to have his suspicions confirmed.

Opening the door without a though and making his way up to her room he found her bedroom door opening as she peered out to see who it was.

Striding forward as her eyes widened in recognition he entered the room as she stepped back, not letting her create too much distance as he raised his hands to clasp her shoulders.

“Ianthe…”

 ---—--------------------------

 

“Ianthe…” his voice sounded so restrained, as though he was bursting to say something, which was fairly obvious in the way he had invaded her house at this hour.

“Jareth?” she reached up to close her hands over his on her shoulders, “what’s wrong?”

“Do you fear me?” his question was barely above a whisper as his gazed searched hers.

“No.” she answered simply, rather confused at the direction the conversation was going.

“Do you love me?” he asked then, hands tightening as she gasped in surprise, cheeks heating up at the brazen question. This was it, this was the moment she suspected now, that both of them had been waiting for, and although it was terrifying, teetering on this precipice for which there would be consequences either way, she found herself smiling.

“Yes.” Her grin widened as a wild sort of glee entered his expression, making his entire face light up in a sort of ethereal beauty. He took a step forward, closing the space between them until only a sliver of distance separated their bodies from touching, his hands gently leaving her shoulders to circle around her back, the heat of them scoring through the thin material of her cotton shift making her entirely aware of him in ways she had never allowed herself too before.

His face lowered closed to hers, his warm breath caressing her cheeks as he questioned her a third time.

“Will you do as I say?”

She grinned cheekily up at him again, sensing this was more of a ritualistic series of questions rather than him demanding her obedience,

“Never.” His mouth lifted in an amused grin as he countered,

“I would be your slave.”

Lifting her hands from where they had fallen to her sides she caressed the light tunic he wore, up his chest and around his neck pulling his forehead closer to meet her own.

“I don’t want a slave,” she implored as they steadily maintained eye contact, a wealth of repressed emotions being conveyed between the two of them as she finished.

“I just want you.”

And with that, both of them closed the gap between them, lips meeting in a moment both had scarcely dared dream of in a fierce kiss that quickly grew heated, each clutching at the other, unwilling to relinquish their desired partner.

Eventually they had to part, Jareth looked down at her with a softness that was both alien and completely suited to his features as he cupped her cheeks.

“My dear, you’ll have me forever.” He vowed as solemnly as he could manage while grinning like a loon.

“Oh well,” she teasingly started, tugging on his long blond hair in order to bring his face closer to hers, angling for another kiss,

“That’s not long at all.”


	2. It's always Time for Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not the Second Installment you deserve but the only on I have right now.... enjoy and please don't hate me... I CAN'T BRING MYSELF TO WRITE SMUT WITH THESE TWO.

Time.

 

Spent alone, is a never ending pattern of monotony and loneness.

Spent with one you love, however… can only be the cause of great joy.

Of course, Jareth would never be the one to say that there were not times when it had caused him great despair and misery.

But that was the price you pay for love, the harbinger of great extremes and the most exciting thing that could happen to you.  The mortal nonsense of it bringing eternal happiness was quite foolish, in his opinion.

But, nevertheless, he had his Queen now, and the world had never looked better. Literally, with their combined magic’s and power the Labyrinth had never been as expansive and expressive as it was now, new miles, twists and turns appearing as often as one would care to look.  It was a favorite pastime of Ianthe’s, to go wander the maze until he decided to go find her.

The longest go had been 4 days when Jareth was busy with a goblin crisis (he still would murder the person who had introduced goblins to _glue)_ and had not thought to look for her until then… the maddening women had magic’d up a cozy little table and awning on the south side of the Labyrinth and was having tea with the with Mr. and Mrs. Worm when he found her. 

\---

“you had a four day tea party?” his voice dry, wishing that she was joking but knowing she wasn’t.

“I couldn’t help it!” she defended, her cheeks going a fetching shade of pink, “they were such good company!”

“Dear, you think everyone is good company for tea.” His eyebrow raised even higher as she pouted and crossed her arms, instantly bringing his attention to her… ample chest.

“You’re just mad you had to deal with the glue epidemic yourself.”

“To right.” He agreed as he snagged her close and transported them to their inner bathing chambers before letting her go and holding up a clump of hair that had been glued together much like the rest of... well... everything.

“And you’re going to help me fix this mess to make it up to me.” This grin turned wicked as the tub started filling it’self with steaming water.

“well, her breathless voice telling him he had won,” I supposed fairs fair”

The royal couple was not seen for hours after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hides behind desk from all the rotten tomatoes.

**Author's Note:**

> Considering M rated sequel... thoughts?


End file.
